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Can Eating Too Much Sugar Cause Diabetes?

"No, that’s a myth — and so is the misconception that people with diabetes can 'never' eat sweets or traditional foods they enjoy,” said Donna Gibbons, diabetes program manager at Westchester Medical Center, the flagship of the Westchester Medical Center Health Network.

Avoiding the habits that lead to pre-diabetes is important in preventing the disease.

Avoiding the habits that lead to pre-diabetes is important in preventing the disease.

 Photo Credit: Westchester Medical Center
by Westchester Medical Center
Content Partner: Westchester Medical Center

A wiser strategy, she said, is assessing Type 2 diabetes (T2D) risk factors: being overweight, physically inactive, over 45 or the sibling of someone with diabetes. “Often people at risk of developing diabetes think if they feel okay, they’re okay, but T2D is very insidious and subtle,” said Gibbons. “You might feel sleepy after eating a large meal, you may notice you’re thirstier in the summer or more fatigued at the end of the day, but it’s nothing glaring. That’s why millions of people walk around with pre-diabetes without knowing it.”

In fact, more than 86 million U.S. adults have pre-diabetes; up to 30 percent will develop T2D within five years. The good news: Studies show you can prevent or delay onset of T2D with small lifestyle changes that include losing 5 to 7 percent of total body weight (that’s 10 to 14 pounds if you weigh 200), eating a healthy diet and increasing physical activity, even gradually, to 150 minutes of walking per week — which can be divided into 30 minutes over five days.

“There’s no such thing as a Diabetes Diet,” said Gibbons. “Instead, it’s making healthy choices: eating a wide variety of foods, increasing dietary fiber with whole grains, non-starchy vegetables and fruit, eating smaller portions at regular intervals throughout the day and working with a registered dietician to learn how to eat the foods you love. It’s important to fit diabetes into your everyday ‘healthy’ life.”

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